Epic Canal-Themed Drama “Northward” Debuts at China Arts Festival, Contends for Top Award​

Chongqing – The large-scale drama "Northward," a contender for the 18th Wenhua Awards, was staged at the Chongqing Grand Theatre on October 15 as part of the 14th China Art Festival.

The play chronicles an epic story centered around the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. After multiple performances in cities along the canal, this marks its debut in Southwest China, creating a unique cultural dialogue between the canal and the mountainous city of Chongqing.

​Refining a Masterpiece​

Since its premiere in Hangzhou in September 2024, "Northward" has toured cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Ningbo. The creative crew has continuously refined the script, performances, and stage design. For its Art Festival debut, the play further honed its narrative structure and character development, emphasizing the interconnected lives of descendants from three families and highlighting the canal's cultural significance over the decade since it became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Zhang Yuan, General Manager of Hangzhou Dramatic Arts Centre, noted the challenge of adapting the original novel for the stage. The team focused on transforming the narrative structure, creating vivid character portraits, visualizing the canal's imagery, and expressing its cultural core, incorporating feedback from experts and audiences to enhance its artistic quality. The cast and crew worked intensively on dialogues and rehearsals to elevate the production further.

​Bringing Hangzhou's Charm to Chongqing​

As Hangzhou's first major canal-themed drama, "Northward" brought a taste of its hometown to Chongqing. A themed interactive zone was set up in the theatre lobby, offering a "Journey Along the Canal in a Day" experience. This pre-show event featured activities, exhibits, and introductions designed to immerse the audience in the cultural atmosphere of the play.

The zone displayed collaborative items like branded trinkets, postcards, and intangible cultural heritage prints, creating a pop-up "mini-museum" that blended Hangzhou's traditional charm with Chongqing's local spirit. Attendees could explore canal culture, take photos with character figurines, and participate in interactive games.

Playwright Xie Tao, during a pre-show talk, shared that the Grand Canal provides endless inspiration. He expressed hope that the play's narrative would help audiences, especially younger viewers, appreciate the canal's enduring legacy.

​A Lasting Cultural Legacy​

As a Wenhua Award contender—a top government prize for stage productions—the Chongqing performance represents a significant milestone for "Northward." The play is more than a historical drama; it's a cultural practice exploring memory, heritage, and belonging.

Director Li Bonan was deeply impressed by the original novel's "epic quality," noting that "Northward" is not just a geographical direction but a spiritual pursuit embedded in the national character. Through a dual-timeline narrative connecting past and present, the play paints a flowing cultural panorama on stage.

From its Hangzhou premiere to the national stage, "Northward" is carving a path as a standout original Chinese drama, using the power of theater to tell China's stories and reinforce cultural confidence.